Wanna One

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Wanna One ("WO") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

WO : Esther has a degree in Graphic Design and Cathy is a Marketing specialist. We have been over 15 years working in this sector.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

WO : Design is in everything, even in the little things most people don’t think about. We believe in making the world a better place, and design is our way, our tool.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

WO : For the two of us, design has been part of our lives since we were little girls, and it was evident that we would work in the sector as adults. Back then though, words like “Marketing”, “Design” or “Interiorism” didn’t have the deep meaning they have now for us.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

WO : We are passionate about global projects in which all efforts come together to help the final design. We care about our clients and we try to help their brands grow. We want them to become bigger and better with every step, no matter if it’s in a digital or an analogical way. A brand can’t be built in a day: coherence, rigour and creativity are its best allies.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

WO : Be confident, work hard and don’t count the hours you spend working. Work as a team.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

WO : The level of emotion the design brings with it when it’s completed. If people are receptive to the design and it produces a positive emotion, then we can say it’s a success.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

WO : Simplicity, functionality and the ability of cause an positive emotion.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

WO : A good design makes people feel better. A good design, such as a piece of furniture, can become the centre of a room, or change the style of a whole house. It can become part of your life. A good design, no matter if we are talking about a home or an office, can have an influence on people, built environment is more important than we think! Besides, good design is always a good investment.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

WO : A home furniture collection and a line of decoration accessories. Our dream is to collaborate with Seletti, one of our favourite brands.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

WO : We are very lucky because we are working in one of our dreamed projects at the moment. We are designing and creating a GastroHostel in the centre of Madrid. The project is not ready yet, so we can’t tell you much about it!

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

WO : The concept. Without a good business strategy and a good concept behind it, the recipe doesn’t work...

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

WO : Eames, Philippe Starck, Jaime Hayon, Studio jobs, Cul de Sac and many more…

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

WO : Cathy Figueiredo: Ornamante, (www.ornamante.com) its hipo makes me smile every day. Esther Mengual: Tania Da Cruz, (www.taniadacruzdesign.com) for the freshness and positivity of her designs.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

WO : Lock & Be Free, for the simplicity of its concept and its chromatic and architecture strength.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

WO : Travelling, going to exhibitions, enjoying life!

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

WO : We have to confess that we love our jobs, but if we hadn’t become designers, Esther would had been an artist, and Cathy would had become an architect.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

WO : Our mentor Pepe Crespo. He is one of the best spanish high level marketing specialists. The years we spent collaborating have enriched us both personally and professionally. https://www.linkedin.com/in/pepecrespo

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

WO : Our will for improving, the wish of making things better every time, and to design and create projects which make people happier.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

WO : The worst obstacle is the mistrust a client could have concerning our proposal about a project.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

WO : Each project is different, and should be presented in a unique way. Even if you have you universe design, and understanding that your presentations must fit in your style, you have to be original and authentic. If you present everything with the same format, creativity fades away.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

WO : We are now absorbed into the creation of a GastroHostel in the centre of Madrid. It’s going to be an interactive and surprising meeting point for the people of Madrid and for the people visiting the city.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

WO : To thrill people with our designs.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

WO : Surprising and profitable projects.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

WO : Functionality and esthetic make our world nicer and more comfortable.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

WO : The GastroHostel in the centre of Madrid is our current project. It will be finished in autumn. We are creating a unique experience in its area which will surprise for its freshness and creativity.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

WO : Every project we have created until this date has been very satisfying. Each one of them made us grow personally and professionally. All of them have been important. It’s remarkable though, as you can imagine, when one of your projects is recognized and published. It’s always exciting when you see your work side by side with projects made by people you admire.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

WO : Esther Mengual: We need young designers to make more products which make us smile. Cathy Figueiredo: We need more exchanges and feedback between professions to feed and enrich the design process in order to make better designs. Also, sustainability and positivity should be fundamental in every job.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

WO : Design will become a fundamental part of strategic decisions for companies.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

WO : It depends of every project, its complexity and how long it takes to develop every part of it.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

WO : We always start auditing the sector, identifying the competition at a national and international level and investigating market trends.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

WO : To infinity and beyond!

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

WO : There are so many different kind of designs: the ones which set the trends, the ones following the trends, without contributing or adding anything new and the ones which are atemporal.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

WO : We use technology every day and it is part of all of our process design. We are in touch through email and skype, we use design software, etc.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

WO : We all work with Apple equipment. For software we use from Microsoft Office, to Adobe or Autocad and Revit. It depends on the project.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

WO : A good design implies a perfect selection of the chromatic range and the materials we use. In all our projects, color is a fundamental part of them. We love chromatisms and we can spend hours talking about colour tones.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

WO : Did you have complete freedom to suggest and develop this project or did you have many limitations?

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

WO : “I wanna one!” ☺

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

WO : We believe in working as a team, in fact we create our teams depending on the projects to guarantee the professionalism, flexibility and creativity at all times.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

WO : Each project has made us learn new things and develop our abilities. We adapt to circumstances and keep growing every day.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

WO : It is the first one and we hope to have more than one!

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

WO : Color: Yellow Place: The next one we will discover Food: Asian food Thing: A great book Brand: Seletti

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

WO : Enjoy the big hug of a woman and how thankful she was because we gave her so much joy and laughs at an event we created in Madrid in 2016. “Lava tus trapos sucios” meaning “wash your dirty clothes”. In Spanish is an expression meaning “Confess your secrets”.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

WO : We are thankful everyday for being able to work in our passion.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

WO : Since she was little Esther said she wanted to do the adverts she saw on TV, of course, back then she didn’t even know the meaning of the word “design”.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

WO : Have you watched Black Mirror? (Joke)